The Heart's Invisible Furies Audiobook By John Boyne cover art

The Heart's Invisible Furies

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The Heart's Invisible Furies

By: John Boyne
Narrated by: Stephen Hogan
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From the beloved New York Times best-selling author of The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, a sweeping, heartfelt saga about the course of one man's life, beginning and ending in postwar Ireland.

Cyril Avery is not a real Avery - or, at least, that's what his adoptive parents tell him. And he never will be. But if he isn't a real Avery, then who is he?

Born out of wedlock to a teenage girl cast out from her rural Irish community and adopted by a well-to-do if eccentric Dublin couple via the intervention of a hunchbacked Redemptorist nun, Cyril is adrift in the world, anchored only tenuously by his heartfelt friendship with the infinitely more glamorous and dangerous Julian Woodbead. At the mercy of fortune and coincidence, he will spend a lifetime coming to know himself and where he came from and - over his many years - will struggle to discover an identity, a home, a country, and much more.

In this, Boyne's most transcendent work to date, we are shown the story of Ireland from the 1940s to today through the eyes of one ordinary man. The Heart's Invisible Furies is a novel to make you laugh and cry while reminding us all of the redemptive power of the human spirit.

©2017 John Boyne (P)2017 Penguin Random House Canada Coming of Age Family Life Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Historical Fiction Literary Fiction Literature & Fiction Sagas

Critic reviews

"By turns whimsical and heartbreaking, Boyne's sprawling novel treads Dickensian territory across seven decades of Irish history, ending with a redemption for both a country and a native son." (People)

  • Winner of the 2018 Goldsboro Books Glass Bell Award
  • Finalist for the 2018 Lambda Literary Award
  • Longlisted for the 2019 International Dublin Literary Award
  • An Amazon Best Book
  • A New Statesman Book of the Year
  • A Kobo Best Book of 2017
  • A Chicago Review of Books Best Book of 2017
  • Nominated for the 2017 Goodreads Choice Award

"Boyne's fictional portrait of postwar Ireland and its people is nightmarish but utterly compelling.... The appalling comedy of Cyril's childhood and youth, the vigour, the mess, the stir and life and horror of it all form the heart of a substantial achievement." (The Guardian, UK)

"Tender, dark, hilarious, heartbreaking - I loved it." (Vogue)
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This is a great book. I purchased it months ago and forgot about it. I was so happy to “find” it in my library. It’s one of those you just can’t put down.

Great.

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Beautiful poignant story with characters that come alive and are part of your world while you enjoy the magnificent narration and beyond. Wonderful historical visit to a time and place in Ireland warts and all.

Stop what you’re doing and download this book

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the audio book was a bit messed up with volume, but the reader was good

Great book

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This author has a wonderful ability to write plots that interweave seamlessly and every one is a little bit of a mystery because he starts you off with a story and then he drops breadcrumbs throughout so that you make connections along the way. You always arrive full circle to the first story you read and all relationships, subplots and events fit perfectly together. Nothing happens without fitting perfectly into the whole. The characters are rich in human complexity, he has the facility for making you like and dislikes the same character as he/she develops. At the core of the book is a deep compassion for those people who are relegated to the fringes of society and he brings forth the depths of human bigotry, hatred, prejudice and ignorance with a mix of humor and clarity that makes the reader “feel” it. The dialogues in this book are simply hilarious, and the novel is just so beautifully written. You feel catharsis at the end.

Wonderful

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Really enjoyed The Heart's Invisible Furies. I was drawn in from the very beginning and appreciated the humanity of the story throughout. Stephen Hogan's narration is unforgettable. One of my favorite audio books of all time.

A Wonderful Story

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A brilliant story that is literally painful to listen to. The volume of the reader changes so dramatically, from whispers to loud shouts, that you're either straining to hear or your ears are ringing from the shouts emanating from your headphones. I even tried listening through a speaker, but it was still a challenge - always adjusting the volume. Disappointing lack of attention to the experience of the listener.

terrible sound recording

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Beyond brilliant! Definitely one the best books I have ever read. The story, although tragic, is mesmerizing and the characters are so real and entertaining. I found myself having slipped into their world and I sat on the sidelines sharing their joy and sadness. The narration flowed so seamlessly and me with it. I don't have the words to express how much I love this book.

I have a new favorite author. Thank you so much for this amazing story.

BRILLIANT! Ten stars.

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